Childhood & Decisions That Will Affect The Whole World
by swanglade37
Summary: Two Next Generation Hogwarts students have a chat by the Black Lake late at night, and discuss the future. Features Slytherin!Lily and Ravenclaw!Hugo.


There they sat, the two redheaded teenagers, so alike, yet so vastly different. They sat there in an unusual quiet. The boy, surprisingly, was the first to break the silence, repeating a question that he had asked long ago. "What do you want to do, when we're grown up?"

"What do _you_?" The girl was quick to retaliate. The boy looked thoughtful.

"I want to help people."

"Would you care to elucidate?"

"That's the thing. I can't. I know I want to help people, but I don't know how."

"Was this brought on by your disaster of a career session with Professor Clearwater?"

"It wasn't a disaster!" He sighs at her look. "Yeah."

"Let me guess: she asked you the same question I did, and was disappointed as I was when you couldn't come up with an answer."

The boy didn't answer one way or the other, but the query he posed to her told all. "Why do we have to start thinking about this stuff in _Fifth_ Year? Don't we have enough to think about, what with OWL's?"

The girl quirked one side of her mouth upwards, but there was no humor in her voice when she spoke. "It's my personal opinion that Fifth Year is the worst of them all. But they aren't trying to torture us, no matter what it seems like. They want to prepare us for the real world, so they pile all this on us to see how we deal with it. It's a test, Keeper."

"Not surprised Miss Perfect has an eloquent response. Did you get it from Vic or Mol?"

"Both. And Roxie contributed the first bit."

"Here we are, the youngest, trying vainly to be different, yet still quoting our elders."

"I don't think they count as 'elders' until all of our parents' and grandparents' generations are gone."

"True. Imagine telling Dom she's old."

"You're being mean. Again."

"Not sorry." The pair sat in silence for another few minutes as they contemplated life. At least, that would have been their excuse if anyone caught them out after curfew, under a tree, near the Black Lake. They would have also argued that, as prefects whose patrol hadn't ended yet, they weren't breaking any rules. But that didn't happen. No one caught the two out there that night. The conversation that would happen would set the course of history, whether its conversants knew it or not. Then the boy broke the silence again.

"You never answered my question, you know."

"I know."

"Will you? Now, I mean, not some point in the distant future."

The girl sighed, then began her story. "My career session went better than yours did. I told Professor Zabini about my plans to be a famous Seeker, and then work on expanding the shop both internationally and into the Muggle world."

"So? That's what you've wanted to do since forever."

"'Since forever'? Can't come up with something better than that, Ravenclaw?"

"Shut up, Slytherin. Continue now."

"Well, which do you want me to do: talk or shut up." He gave her a look and she conceded.

"You're right. That's what I've wanted to do since forever. But later, after my session, I started thinking. What is the point of all we've done to separate ourselves from our family's image, if I'm just going to be a professional Quidditch player and then work at the shop."

" _With_ the shop. You hate working _at_ the shop."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. And, to be honest, I don't know. Honestly, it feels like I don't know _anything_ anymore."

"I know the feeling."

"I figured you would. But, Lily, the truth is, I've never seen you as a professional Quidditch player. Or as the type to work with the rest of the family. I've always supported you, and I always will, but you never seemed the type to follow in our family's footsteps or even work with relatives. You love working with _new_ people. I guess I never understood why you'd want to confine yourself to the family when if you spread your wings even a little bit, you could do anything you wanted."

"I guess I'm more like Dad than Mum."

"How so?"

"I love Quidditch, but not as a career. I love it as something I want to teach my kids someday. I want to tell them about all the magnificent catches I made and records I broke whilst at Hogwarts. But I don't want them to grow up the kids of a celebrity. You and I know what that life is like-it sucks!"

"So articulate." The girl glared at her cousin and he raised his hands in defense. "I know what you mean though. And _I_ think I can rule out wanting to be an Auror, seeing as I don't want to leave _my_ kids fatherless." The girl exhaled slowly.

"I think that was the worst part of having the Head Auror as a father: we never knew which mission would be his last. So, Auror's out for you, and Quidditch and the shop are out for me. What's left?"

"Becoming Healers?"

"I thought we wanted to be original Hugo! Vic's already a Healer, and Al's amazing at that type of magic as well."

"Okay, Healing's out."

"Wait a minute. Have we given up on anything to do with Quidditch, or just the game in general?"

"The game in general. Why?"

"I've just come up with an original idea; one that no one in our family's done, and one that no one will think to do either."

"I am intrigued. Speak, cousin."

"Broomstick makers."

"Like, joining a company, like the Nimbus or the Comet?"

"Of course not. Starting our own, of course."

"What would we call it?"

"How about the Hummingbird-Hawk? For both of us. "

"I am confused."

"You know, I have the eyes of a hawk and you have the speed of hummingbird. It's perfect."

"It… is! Have I told you lately you're a genius?"

"Earlier, in Potions. I don't mind being told again."

"You are one, though. I mean, you get to be original while still working with Quidditch however loosely, and I get to help people by building brooms for them. We could even give lessons!"

"Yeah." All was quiet again, as the two teenagers fantasized about the girl's idea. Soon though, they grew bored of just sitting there, and the boy jumped up.

"Let's dance!"

"Dance?"

"Yeah. We haven't in years. Just the old pattern."

"Fine." He helped her up, and they began the familiar steps they had choreographed at the age of five. They had been very bored five-year-olds. And in that moment, they weren't The Keeper and Miss Perfect; they weren't Their Only Son and His Only Daughter; in that moment, they were children once again, dancing in the grass under the protection of an old tree.

But childhood cannot last forever. And, eventually, with a rather mournful exit, they started walking back to the castle. I will not tell you what became of those two after they entered the school, for that is their tale, and their tale alone, but rest assured the story of that duo is far from over. And they will always be known as the brightest stars of their generation.

* * *

 **Hello readers! This fic came into my thinking place ('brain' is way overused) and refused to leave unless I paid it attention. I did. I even had my mother (who is not a Harry Potter fan) look it over, and she said it was very good and she understood parts. Score one for swanglade37!**

 **In other fanfiction news,** Four, Not Three **is in progress and I should have the second chapter out by the end of Spetember at the latest! For you CoN fans, I have good news: I have been inspired once again to continue** Lucy Pevensie? Or Is It Potter? **,** **so I should have the next chapter of that out by the end of September as well.**

 **That's all my news. Farewell, readers, and may you leave me many, many reviews!**

 **-swanglade37**


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